In the field of respiratory therapy, patients often undergo oxygen therapy treatment to alleviate symptoms associated with respiratory ailments. Oxygen therapy is a therapeutic technique in which pure oxygen is continuously administered to a patient so that every time the patient takes a breath, the pure oxygen enters into the patient's lungs. For the majority of cases, the oxygen is delivered to the lungs through the nose, by a nasal cannula inserted into the patient's nostril. By delivering the oxygen through the nose, patients can use their mouth without interference from the oxygen. As a result, patients can eat, drink, or talk while receiving oxygen. Although the nasal-delivered oxygen is helpful for the respiratory condition, the continuous stream of gas through the patient's nostril and nasal cavity causes them to severely dry out. In prolonged oxygen therapy, the soft, moist tissue in the patient's nostril and nasal cavity may become severely dehydrated and cracked. Many times, these cracks are so severe that patients will bleed from them.
The so-called “dry-nose condition,” which is extremely uncomfortable and oftentimes painful, creates a dilemma for patients by forcing them to choose between the lesser of two evils. On the one hand, a patient can receive oxygen to treat his/her respiratory ailment but suffer the effects of the dry-nose condition. On the other hand, the patient can forego the oxygen therapy to prevent the dry-nose condition but suffer the debilitating symptoms of their respiratory ailment. Either way, patients are in a no win situation.
To combat the dry-nose condition, it is common in the art for patients to topically apply an over-the-counter, water-based lubricant to the interior walls of the nostril and nasal cavity. These lubricants are normally found in gel form. For example, one water-based gel that is commonly used for treating the dry-nose condition is a product marketed under the name K-Y Jelly®. It has been found that applying K-Y Jelly® will lubricate the soft tissue on the nasal cavity walls and the interior of the nostril. This lubrication helps retain moisture and prevents the cracks from forming. However, being water-based, K-Y Jelly®, as well as other water-based lubricants, evaporates very quickly. This consequence is further exacerbated by the steady stream of oxygen coming from the cannula and continuously passing over the gel once it is applied. As a result, patients must repeatedly remove the cannula from their nose and reapply this product. Furthermore, the water-based gels do not heal existing cracks in the soft tissue.